Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Chapter 19

Verses 58-59

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Peace: a word from a Merciful Lord.And get aside today, O guilty ones! (36:58-59)

On that Day which is full of terror, hardships and harshness, the people of paradise are enjoying the bounties and tastefulness. There is no fear for them. Rather, they do not even think of those things

They and their wives shall be in shades, reclining on raised couches.

They and their wives are reclining on royal divine thrones under the divine shade.

They shall have fruits therein…

There are heavenly fruits for the people of paradise. As I have said earlier, the similarity is only in name while their qualities are very different. No one in this world can even imagine the fruit available in paradise as to what kind it would be. It has to be experienced and perceived, it cannot be explained. Whatever the description in this world, the reality is very much different.

…and they shall have whatever they desire.

Whatever they want or desire is easily and immediately available to them.

Allah directly salutes the people of Paradise

Peace: a word from a Merciful Lord. (36:58)

That is Salam to you. Its predicate is ‘upon them’ but another explanation is that it could be the object of the verb. That is, Salam on the people of paradise from the Merciful Lord.

The apparent meaning of this Holy verse is that the Salam is without any intermediary, directly from the Lord of the worlds. Salam for the Faithful is usually through mediatories. At the moment of death, it is through the angel of death and his assistants.

Their salutation on the day that they meet Him shall be, Peace, and He has prepared for them an honourable reward. (33:44)

It is one of the indirect Salams. Then, after the faithful sits on the royal divine throne, twelve thousand angels arrive from the Lord of the worlds saluting him.

The appointees say that the faithful is currently with a Hourie. They seek permission to be present. Today is the day of honor, respect and manifestation of the dignity of the Faithful. The angels arriving from every gate say:

Peace be on you because you were constant, how excellent, is then, the issue of the abode. (13:24)

Greetings from God to you because of the patience you showed in the world. You were forbearing; you fulfilled your duties painstakingly. You remained steadfast facing hardships and calamities. You restrained yourselves in front of luring sins. Paradise is the dwelling place of the patient ones. No one arrives in paradise without showing patience. This residence and rank, which you got, is as a reward of your forbearance in your worldly life. This dwelling place is so very nice. O Faithful! Congratulations to you for achieving this position. You are among the lucky ones. Many congratulations, how nice is this great and high rank. The greatest news is about eternity. It is being intimated that this position will never end and you too are eternal.

In the world, if you possess even the best of mansions and gardens, you have to leave them in the end. Either the possessions go away first or the one who possesses them dies. Just also think about the sorrow, which one has to experience at the time of losing them.

Two big defects in a beautiful palace

It is written in Tafsir Ruhul Bayan that: One of the past kings founded a palace with an intention to make it unparalleled. Then, when it was complete, he invited all sections of people to visit it. He also kept a notebook at the exit so that anyone who observes any defect may note it and then it can be removed.

When he checked the visitor book he saw that all had praised this palace except two, who had criticized it. The king called these two persons.

He asked them what defect they had noted. They replied, “There are two defects in this mansion. But what is the use when there is no remedy?” They also said, “We are afraid, if we mention our observation, the king may become angry.” The king said, “No harm. Tell me what you feel.”

They said, “The first defect is that this building will finally be destroyed and another is that its owner will depart from it. How can you fall in love with a thing, which is with you only for a little time?”

I want to point out that the house of the hereafter would be so really good and without defects that it would never be taken away from you, nor would it ever be destroyed.

Salam from God - what a great honor for the Faithful

Salamun Alaikum - O Believer! The direct Salam is for you. After those indirect Salams, in the sight of those who are intelligent and who know, is the great heavenly bounty in the form of this direct Salam. The bounties of God on one side and the bounty of a dialogue with Him on the other. God Almighty says direct Salam to His servants. This remembrance by God and that too with congratulations and praise!

If even once you say: O My Lord! I am Your servant

It makes Him happy on the Great Throne.

O handful of dust! God talks to you. Woe unto that fellow who gets lost in the worldly futile things and loses the opportunity of God speaking to him.

Salam is not only a greeting but also a great and important event, especially when it is from a spiritual person, messenger, Imam or angel. Then what to say when it is from God Himself! It is absolute safety and security. It is safety from every kind of pain, trouble or annihilation, from every illness, every weakness. So much so that there will be nothing like slumber, laziness or weariness.

A reward for what they used to do. They shall not hear therein vain or sinful discourse, (56:24-25)

The happiness is also absolute and there will be nothing like aversion, hatred or jealousy. If anybody has an iota of jealousy, his place is in the house of sick in hell so that he may become pure and clean. Thereafter he is admitted to the House of Safety, which is one of the names of paradise.

They shall have the abode of peace with their Lord, and He is their guardian because of what they did. (6:127)

There will be no trouble and illness. What is most important is that there will be no mortality or perishing.

Letter from the Lord to the Faithful servant

Prophet Muhammad (‘s) is reported to have said, “After a believer is admitted to paradise, he will receive greeting from God Almighty, which is ‘Salam from the Merciful Lord’”. In this narration, it is mentioned under the heading of ‘Correspondence’ that an angel hands over to the believer a letter from the Lord of the Worlds. The letter is then opened and it would read as follows: This letter is from the Everlasting Lord and the Protector of everything and Who never dies. It is addressed to the one who too is alive and will never die. We are the Lord Whose intention is sufficient for attainment of everything. From this day, We have given you a thing whereby whatever you wish will happen within a moment.

Has whatever I said about paradise during the last two or three days evoked any longing in the speaker and the hearer? Have we or have we not become those who yearn for Paradise? You ought to be like that Shia of Ali (‘a) who said: Had it not been destined by God, people who are faithful, might have desired that their souls should immediately leave the body and proceed towards the high world to enter the guest house of God.[29]

Are you ready to seek death?

What is meant is not that you should want to die. It is wrong. It is prohibited. Is there any benefit in it? Do you rightly imagine that, at the time of your death, you will be on the right path? May be you will first see hardships and punishments.

A man expressed to the Imam his desire for death. The gist of this narration is that the Holy Imam asked that man, “Have you made prior arrangements? Have you made provision for the journey? Suppose the hour of death has arrived. Have you readied yourself for it?”

Rather you should say, ‘O God! Give me respite so that I may prepare myself for the journey’”[30] In these Holy nights of Ramadan, I say: O Lord! Forgive me please. Of course this also is an introduction. Where is the real longing for death so that pressure and trouble may decrease? One may repent.

And if Allah should hasten the evil to men as they desire the hastening on of good, their doom should certainly have been decreed for them… (10:11)

But this appeal to which Ali (‘a) refers is with regard to longing for paradise, longing to meet God, consequent to a strong desire for reward and to avoid chastisement. He is also afraid of divine chastisement and fears the separation from God’s friend and hence wants that his body should get rid of fear.

But you can see the current situation: People love everything except paradise and divine reward and they fear everything except God’s anger and punishment!

It is distressing to go from company to loneliness

See how Fatima (‘a) longed to meet God. You have heard that when the Holy Prophet merely informed her: You are the first among my household who will meet me, she became extremely happy. This is the sign of a friend of God.

Say: O you who are Jews, if you think that you are the favorites of Allah to the exclusion of other people, then invoke death If you are truthful. (62:6)

It is written in Kashkol of Shaykh Bahai that a man asked Imam Hasan (‘a), “Why are we terrified of death?” He replied summarily that it is because you live in an inhabited place and for you the Hereafter is a lonely ruin. The one who has ruined his Hereafter and this world, who has nothing in that world becomes unhappy while leaving this world.

Sinners must get separated in Mahshar

And get aside today, O guilty ones! (36:59)

It means, ‘Get away!’ It is a destined order and not a matter of choice. In the beginning, a voice will be heard in the Field of Grand Gathering: “Get aside, O Sinners! Today”. In the past world there was a veil over your deeds. Nothing was known. No one knew what was in the heart of others because a number of hypocrites had placed themselves among the believers. But today truth is manifest.

On the day when hidden things shall be made manifest, (86:9)

Here there is no scope for false claims. There is nothing except what is right, truthful and actual. The sinners must separate themselves from every side; by their appearance, words, place and time - The sinners must get aside until the forceful voice is heard: Whosoever is sinful, his face is black and whosoever is among the people of paradise, his face is bright. Thus the sinners would be recognized by their faces.

The guilty shall be recognized by their marks… (55:41)

Some of the sinners who were fond of monkeys and pigs will get their faces changed to these forms. Some will have the face of a dog. Some will arrive as ants because they were arrogant. The more one is mean at heart the more proud he is in his attitude. The proud fellow is not known here. How can it be known? Tomorrow in the field of Mahshar he will arrive in the form of a mean little lowly ant. Everyone will be recognized by his appearance that will tell what kind of a man he was in his worldly life. His belly is so bloated that he is unable to move. Everyone will know that he took usury. He was eating fire.

Those who swallow down usury cannot arise except as one whom Shaitan has prostrated by (his) touch does rise. (2:275)

They will not be asked, as they are known

So on that day neither man nor jinni shall be asked about his sin. (55:39)

They will not be asked anything as everything will be apparent in various ways and their own organs will witness as we have seen earlier.

The late Faiz has also quoted a narration in Ainul Yaqeen: Every drunkard entering the field of Mahshar will be holding a bottle of wine. Every violinist will be holding his violin, which would be thrashing his head. The Holy Quran also hints at this:

On the day that every soul shall find present what it has done of good and what it has done of evil… (3:30)

Everyone who had done a wrong and a bad deed would desire to distance himself from it; that this cup of wine and this instrument of gambling should remain at a distance from him but they will not go away. Strange indeed is the situation on the Day of Judgment! Just read any chapter of the Holy Quran. It reminds one of that World of Tomorrow. Rather it makes us frightful.

Recite these supplications of Ali (‘a) during the remaining nights of this Holy month: O God! Grant us safety from these frightening conditions of Qiyamat.

One who is guilty would be given the scroll of deeds in ones left hand. Everyone who is to go to paradise will get it in his right hand. This is a kind of differentiating the sinners. Everyone who will raise his head from the grave will say: Alas! Who raised us from our grave?

This is a sign of one being guilty. On the other hand would be those who, emerging from the grave say: Thanks to God Who fulfilled His promise and made us the inheritors of land whereby we may live in this paradise. So how nice is the Reward of those who worked for God!

And they shall say: (All) praise is due to Allah, Who has made good to us His promise, and He has made us inherit the land; we may abide in the garden where we please; so goodly is the reward of the workers. (39:74)

Of course, in the world, everyone whose tongue was free, used to say whatever one liked. In hell also, the people of hell are in trouble and harassed by the tongues of one another. So it is mentioned in a narration that the hell dweller, due to feeling of shame, in the dangling of chains, will not even groan because of chastisement.

They will fall on hell fire like bats

You have a fire extinguisher for putting out the fire. In Qiyamat in the front would be the people of hell. They become separated from all. They arrive like that until they are turned away from the Sirat Bridge. The Holy Prophet describes that it is like a moth that leaps directly into the fire. Similarly the sinner criminals will fall in hell fire. Everyone will take his own place. The people of paradise also will take their place in the ‘correct seat’ (Maqad-e-Sidq).

And you shall see the angels going round about the throne glorifying the praise of their Lord; and judgment shall be given between them with justice, and it shall be said: All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. (39:75)

O God! Grant us the Faith whereby we may understand this meaning. We are afraid of the humiliation on the Day of Judgment tomorrow. May we not be dishonored in front of the former and latter nations. O you, who are having self-respect and who like to be honored! Remove negligence from yourselves. Let your hearts not harden. Desires and passions, aspirations and negligence reduce faith, that faith, which makes you reach your place in the Hereafter.

Drag me to fire, perhaps I may wake up

In Asrarus Salat of Tabrizi, it is written in the story of the well known scholar Allamah Shaykh Muhammad Mazandarani that when this great man felt that he was being negligent, he used to go out of city into wilderness along with his son and a servant. The Shaykh first asked them, “Is it not necessary for you to obey my orders?” After the two said ‘yes’ the Shaykh said, “I am collecting fuel wood. You also do so.” Then he lit the fire and told the two that they drag him towards the fire saying, “O aged sinner! Imagine that Qiyamat has come up.” The scholar used to order them, “Drag me to the fire, that perhaps, the heat may awaken me.”

When Ali (‘a) fired the furnace of a destitute woman, he drew his face near that fire saying, “O Ali! Taste the heat of this fire. You have no ability to bear the fire of hell.”[31]

Remembrance of death cures negligence

Negligence hinders the growth of faith. Faith is weak and negligence is more dangerous. Every one of you should, to the best of his ability, provide means of remembrance and admonition for himself. What come in the way of spiritual progress are the same aspirations and desires.[32] Unless and until you trample upon your desires and passions, how can you develop a longing to meet God?

Ali (‘a) says, “Two things which worry me are your pursuit of desires and lengthening of your aspirations.”[33] If you can see that death is near, you would slow down.

In the night of Ashura, Husain saw that Zainab was very restless. He employed a remedy for her and it made her quiet. It was the remembrance of death. “My grandfather was better than me. He passed away from this world and so was my father…”

Notes:

[29] Nahjul Balagha

[30] Safinatul Bihar, vol.2, pg.555

[31] Biharul Anwar, vol. 9

[32] Dua Abu Hamza Thumali

[33] Nahjul Balagha

Chapter 20

Verses 60-61

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Did I not charge you, O children of Adam! that you should not serve the Shaitan? Surely he is your open enemy, And that you should serve Me; this is the right way. (36:60-61)

Reply to the sinners’ objection

After the command to get separated is issued it is said, “O devil worshippers! O passion worshippers! Be apart. Your place is in the pit of hell. Today, honor is only for God worshippers.” Of course, those who are guilty become unhappy. They raise an objection that their faults were not pointed out to them in the world but it is said to them, “We had made a covenant with you in the world. We had reminded you that you should not worship Satan.”

God’s covenant with man is mentioned in three stages: First in the stage at the beginning of creation, secondly relating to Adam the father of entire mankind, and thirdly, which is mentioned above, through the messengers who took promise from people that they would not worship the devil; that they must not follow Satan because “he is your open enemy.” We recommended that you must worship Only One God, as the straight path is to worship the Beneficent, not the Satan. Before you, he has misguided many and has destroyed many.

Will you not then understand? Will you not realize how Satan destroyed them? We have concluded arguments for you so that you may not say, “O God! We did not know what are the divine books and where are the covenants with God?”

There are some points in this Holy verse, which demand deep reflection. Firstly, what does worshipping Satan mean? Secondly why is Satan inimical to man? And thirdly, how to protect ourselves from this open enemy?

Satan is one of the limitless creations of God

First, Satan is a creation like all other creations. God’s creations are innumerable. We have yet not known even a millionth of that number. They put a drop of water under a microscope and find that there are millions of living organisms moving about in it, which were not visible to the naked eye.

One of the creations of God is Satan. In man, his earth related nature is overpowering and in Satan his fire related nature, which is full of heat. So if they open up our graves some years after our death, they will witness the overpowering nature related to earth and will see that the rest of all natures have perished. Satan has an overwhelming fiery nature, and hence he throws no shadow and is not visible to the physical eye.

The Holy Quran says:

O children of Adam! let not the Shaitan cause you to fall into affliction as he expelled your parents from the garden, pulling off from them both their clothing that he might show them their evil inclinations, he surely sees you, he as well as his host, from whence you cannot see them… (7:27)

The physical eye cannot see a fine and a subtle body. Secondly he, like humans, has reproduction and procreation. It is mentioned in narrations that three satans are born against each human being. It is not known how they copulate and procreate. May be they are a forced creation.

Why is he inimical towards man?

His enmity towards man is merely due to jealousy and pride. For example, whenever Satan rewards generously one of his two slaves without taking anything from the other slave he raises an objection saying, “Why did you give him more? This is ungratefulness (Kufr). It is an objection against the giver and the authority. Such is the jealousy between satanic co-workers. Has anything been decreased from your wealth and given to him?

Satan saw that God has given more benefits to the earthy man, Adam and His progeny. He understood that man can rise to such a position where even angels become his servants; that man has become the best creation. In order to confirm this God commanded that all must bow down before this best creation, viz. man. The jealousy and pride within Satan revolted and he objected to God’s command.

I was an angel and the highest Paradise was my residence

Formerly Satan had a very high rank. Rather, it is narrated that he was the teacher of angels. He had a very high rank in the upper world, and an honorable position. He had many followers. Despite this, jealousy and pride pushed him to eternal misfortune. “I am created of fire, which is higher.”

He said: What hindered you so that you did not make obeisance when I commanded you? He said: I am better than he: Thou hast created me of fire, while him Thou didst create of dust. (7:12)

He said, “I should be nearer to you, not Adam who is created of dust.” Objection against the divine decision is disbelief. When he announced his denial, came the angry command: Such haughtiness or jealousy in the House of God? Get out of here. You are among the mean and degraded ones.

He said: Then get forth from this (state), for it does not befit you to behave proudly therein. Go forth, therefore, surely you are of the abject ones. (7:13)

Whosoever raises his head in this Court becomes degraded. Everyone who thinks that he is something is one of the most unworthy fellows. What is desired in the House of God is meekness and humility.

You should be so lowly before God that you may not care for anyone other than Only One God. You must never believe in the greatness of anyone except Only One God. Who are you to say: I am noble, knowledgeable, pious of a high rank? Such announcements of I, I, have no real value. The first man in the world of creation, Muhammad (‘s) says, “Poverty is my dignity, I am poor and I sit among the poor.” It is related from Ali (‘a) also that he said, “Neediness before God is my pride. I am needy and I sit with the needy.”

In his Dua Arafah, Imam Zainul Aabedeen (‘a) submits: I am the tiniest of the tiny. Rather I am smaller than even an atom. Anyone who has any air of greatness or highness is equal to Satan from this aspect.

It was on account of Adam that the wings of Satan burnt down. He was rejected and turned away forever.

He had worshipped God for six thousand years in the heaven. His six- thousand-year worship went with the wind due to a single show of pride and jealousy. It is thus known that his enmity against Adam and his progeny is due to anger. Satan will never be your friend. He is your deadly enemy. You must also treat him as your enemy.

Surely the Shaitan is your enemy, so take him for an enemy… (35:6)

Do not follow him. He is a sure enemy of yours. By all means keep a safe distance from him.

These youths queuing up in this hot sun near a cinema house are following Satan. He will never leave you until you are totally destroyed.

The business of Satan is to rob you or destroy your deeds

I want to make it clear what Satan’s enmity towards Adam and his progeny means. The aim of his enmity is that, he should try his utmost so that nobody from the progeny of Adam attains nearness of the Lord of the Worlds. If he can, he wants to take away and pull out the root of faith from everyone right from the first day of creation till the Day of Judgment. If it is not possible then he would do something whereby he may weaken one’s faith. If he does not succeed in the matter of faith he tries his intrigues to spoil man’s deeds. The worship of Satan is to obey him. So, never lend your ear to the voice of Satan and oppose him. Opposing Satan is worshipping God, the Beneficent.

And that you should serve Me; this is the right way. (36:61)

The Divine Law consists of obligatory and optional duties and recommended and detestable acts. To observe these matters is the right path. Satan is he who deviates man from this path, that is, he creates doubts and misgivings etc. He leads you to the prohibited things and/or makes you miss what is obligatory. Compromising with Satan means sin, guilt or crime. Whenever you indulge in a sin, if the curtain is lifted up, you would see that you have prostrated before Satan.

So do not worship the Satan. Satan is your enemy who would love to see you should die faithless. He does not leave you unless and until he fulfils his aim. Here is a story in this connection.

Satan replies to his slave

At the end of the book, Muntakhabut Tawarikh, it is quoted from a great scholar of Isfahan that he said: In one of the villages of Isfahan, a man was passing through the last moments of his life. I was called at his bedside. So I went and told him to say, “There is no god except Allah”. The bedridden man repeated it. Suddenly came a voice from the left side of that room, “My slave tells the truth.” I asked the man to recite “O Allah!” again came the voice, “Here I am, My servant.” There was someone who replied to the bedridden person and when I asked, “Who are you?” The reply was, “This man was my slave all his life. He was serving me. He is my devoted servant.” Then he was asked, “Who are you?” “I am Satan,” came the reply.

Thus when this man said, “My God”, he actually meant the one he had worshipped all his life, that is the Satan. May dust fall on the head of the one who calls his enemy his deity.

What does Quran say:

And when they are cast into a narrow place in it, bound, they shall there call out for destruction. (25:13)

What do you recite in the supplication of dawn in Ramadan? You desire that you should not be yoked by Satan; that you should not obey his suggestions; that you should not worship and obey him. At the time of anger, you are mostly a slave of Satan. Your tongue becomes loose. You speak out indecent things, make false allegations, insult others and reveal secrets etc.

Do not hand over your control to Satan. How pitiable! One should never be such that even though he has a Merciful and Kind Lord he turns his face away from Him! And towards whom is he turning? Towards his own enemy! God Almighty, the Messengers, and the Imams tell you: Be inimical to Satan. Oppose Satan. Is it proper that while he is inimical to you, you befriend him? How will you raise your head on the Day of Resurrection? The truth tellers told you: Treat him as an enemy. But, instead of treating him as your enemy, you obeyed his orders!

Weapons to fight the Satan

It is narrated that the last Messenger, Muhammad (‘s) said, “Fasting is the weapon of a believer”, “Fasting blackens the face of Satan.” Such is the spiritual situation. “Charity breaks his (Satan’s) back.”[34]

If you want to suppress satan completely you should know that friendship in the path of God stifles him. You must love and befriend even your life partner and your children for the sake of God. Love your friend and companion for the sake of God, not for your own personal interests because they are the bounties of Allah. When you die, they will pray for you (on your behalf). They will say: “O Allah” and you will benefit from it. You should likewise, love your husband for the sake of God, as He secured and protected your honor and Faith through him. Similar is the case of man with regard to his wife.

A repenting heart cuts down Satan

O the one who wants to fight this enemy! Which is the other weapon? The Holy Prophet (‘s) practically instructs you how to cut the main artery of Satan. Repentance cuts off the main artery of Satan’s heart. So powerful is repentance that this weapon brings down Satan.

Who is one among us, who has not obeyed Satan? Probably at the moment of quarrelling, we almost worship Satan through anger against one another.

Cutting off relations is also same. So come on. Let us, before its too late, compensate for our past misdeeds. Come and let us listen to our Lord. Let us make a real prostration before God Almighty. An alarm is being sounded for you from the divine throne. You must become a companion of the messengers, the martyrs, the pious ones and the virtuous.

And whoever obeys Allah and the Apostle, these are with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favors from among the prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the good, and a goodly company are they! (4:69)

O believing lady! You must become a companion of Zahra (‘a). O Gentleman! You should become a truly liberated man.

Men whom neither merchandise nor selling diverts from the remembrance of Allah and the keeping up of prayer and the giving of poor-rate; they fear a day in which the hearts and eyes shall turn about; (24:37)

Note:

[34] Safinatul Bihar, vol.2, pg. 64

Chapter 21

Verses 61-62

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

And that you should serve Me; this is the right way. And certainly he led astray numerous people from among you. What! could you not then understand? (36:61-62)

True path is the worship of one God

The Straight Path is that for which we, at least ten times daily, pray: O God! Guide us on the Straight Path.

The path, which is the shortest way to the neighborhood of Muhammad (‘s), not the bye lanes which are curved and deviating, so that we may not stray from our true aim. The road is so much deviated that it does not lead to paradise and even if it does it will be only after suffering and suspension for thousands of years in Barzakh and Qiyamat.

What is the Right Path? God Himself says:

And that you should serve Me; this is the right way.

It is the worship of Only One God (Monotheism), without in any way, worshipping the Satan or passions. Thus this is the Right Path.

Of course there is an important point in Monotheism. It is that one should be a God worshipper from every angle and in every aspect. It must never be sometimes God-worship and sometime devil-worship (worshipping anyone except God). Today in the Holy month of Ramadan we worship God, but tomorrow we tread the path of Satan. It shouldn’t be that when you are negligent in Prayer, you follow the advice of Satan and fall out of the Right Path.

And most surely those who do not believe in the hereafter are deviating from the way. (23:74)

When you indulge in sin you have left the Path of God and proceeded on the way of Satan.

Pretence and conceit is falling away from path of worship

Of course this Path is a spiritual thing, which cannot be touched or felt physically. O the fasting believers! O the praying ones! If, God forbid, there is no purity of intention there is no monotheism. You would be a polytheist and a hypocrite. It has nothing to do with God. Or if there is one who is conceited and who imagines that he has done an extraordinary thing; for example, he is irked at some delay in food being served. You should know that it is nothing. There is no obligation. It is God Who grants and accepts. What are you and I? He gives a great reward of such little deeds. Who are we? How can our deeds become noteworthy?

It is like “getting the locust’s leg for king Solomon” Multiply it a million times!

So the Right Path is the worship of Only One God. It is giving up of sins and fulfilling obligatory matters.

Then, putting emphasis, He says:

And certainly he led astray numerous people from among you. What! could you not then understand? (36:62)

Man is endowed with intellect to benefit from admonition and to be warned. Animals have no intelligence and hence no duty is enjoined on them. It is man who must take a lesson. Thus Allah says how many people are there who are misled by Satan and destroyed by the devil. Have you no sense to understand this?

Qaroon is swallowed by the earth

It is very strange; nowadays everyone is running after money and they think that honor lies in wealth. O wealth worshippers! O you who are running on the path of Satan! Qaroon was richer than you all. No richness can ever reach the level of Qaroon. By the knowledge of Alchemy, which he got from Prophet Moses (‘a), he gathered so much gold and silver that, in the words of the Holy Quran: He became so wealthy that a number of porters carried the keys of his treasures with difficulty.

Surely Qaroon was of the people of Musa, but he rebelled against them, and We had given him of the treasures, so much so that his hoards of wealth would certainly weigh down a company of men possessed of great strength. (28:76)

When the keys of his treasures were so heavy, what would have been the extent of his riches!

O rich gentlemen! However wealthy you may be, you cannot reach the level of Qaroon, but look at his end. According to a narration, first his wealth sank in the ground before his eyes and thereafter he himself also sank.

Thus We made the earth to swallow up him and his abode… (28:81)

How many millionaires have you seen in your life? What happened to their riches amounting to billions when they died? The wealthy fellow went away empty handed. Take lesson. Also look at the grave of that unlucky fellow who gathered money through usury.

O young man! Your eye fell on a strange woman and you were attracted. Just see where the followers of lust reached and what happened to them? How they fell in the traps of Satan?

A wise man should always beware of the satanic traps.

O learned gentleman and O ignorant student! Look and deliberate what calamity befell such people.

…so his parable is as the parable of the dog; if you attack him he lolls out his tongue; and if you leave him alone he lolls out his tongue; this is the parable of the people who reject Our communications; therefore relate the narrative that they may reflect. (7:176)

Will you not take a lesson? Will you not be warned?

Adulteration brought calamity on the perfumer

The author of Muntakhabut Tawarikh writes that, in Kerbala, there was a perfumer who was famous for his piety and fear of God. When he fell ill and his illness prolonged, a friend went to see him and found that nothing remained in his house and everything was sold out. A straw mat, which used to remain under his feet, was now serving as his pillow. The businessman had come down in such a condition. Meanwhile his son came and said, “O father! Today we have no money to purchase your medicines.” The sick man removed the mat from under his head and, giving it to his son, said, “Sell this also and let us see whether I recover or not.”

The visitor asked, “What is all this?” The sick man replied, “In Kerbala, I was an agent of a limejuice company of Shiraz. I was importing limejuice and selling it profitably. Once, Kerbala was caught in a widespread typhoid fever and doctors announced that lemon water was the best remedy for it. On the first day, I did nothing. On the second, I told myself, ‘Why should I sell limejuice so cheap when there are so many buyers?’ So I doubled and then multiplied its price and the people were forced to purchase it.

Seeing the shortage of limejuice I thought that all the stocks would be sold out even at that high price. So I added water to it and also prepared artificial limejuice.

In this way, I gathered a lot of money, but after sometime, thereafter, I fell ill and became bedridden. For my treatment, I had to spend all I had earned from limejuice business. You can see that now the only straw mat I had, is also gone. Let us see if I can recover from my illness after this.”

…most surely there is a lesson in this for those who have sight. (24:44)

It is not that this is only by way of punishment. Sometimes a slight punishment is given so that others may take lesson; otherwise the real chastisement is after death. Just think how many are destroyed in the path of passions? O dear youth! You should control your eyes right from the start.

Say to the believing men that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts; that is purer for them; surely Allah is Aware of what they do. (24:30)

If you look at an unrelated woman, you have fallen on the path of Satan. Then if you continue to gaze and fall in lust, where will you reach? In the beginning, it may appear light, but thereafter it will become very heavy.

First of all, why do you look there? In case it is by chance, then why do you continue to stare?

Look at the events being reported in daily newspapers. This is the result of following Satan in this world.

On that day We will set a seal upon their mouths, and their hands shall speak to Us, and their feet shall bear witness of what they earned. (36:65)

Habits are carried to the grave and Qiyamat. The verse says that today is the day when We will close the mouths and their hands will talk to Us and their legs will testify what they had done.

Let me tell you a word of wisdom: Whatever habit a man forms in this world it remains with him forever. It means that he is like that in grave or Barzakh and also in Qiyamat (Hereafter). The habit does not leave him. If one were habituated to foul language, one would always remain foul mouthed. When his eyes fall on the angel of death in his last moment, he will use bad language with him also and he would even abuse the angels. He would also be like that in the hell tomorrow.

If you have the habit of saying Bismillah before starting anything, tomorrow on the Day of Judgment, when your Scroll of Deeds is presented to you, you will say Bismillah, as was your habit in the world, and all your sins would be erased. You will ask, “What happened?” A voice will say, “O My servant! You called me by the Name of Beneficent and Merciful; so We also dealt with you mercifully.” This is mentioned in a tradition also.[36]

Mouths of the claimants will be closed, their organs will testify

So if one’s nature had been to refute the Truth, which was merely a claim, this habit will also not leave him. Here (in the Hereafter) also he will say, “I am telling the truth and I am pious”, a hollow claim it would be. Or, for example, he owed something to somebody but never intended to return it so he would deny it flatly.

A liar will similarly take that habit to Barzakh and Qiyamat. When his Scroll of Deeds is given to him he at once says, “There is some mistake, when did I commit this sin?” Therefore, God had solved the problem beforehand; He seals the lying tongues. It is not so with a believer who himself would confess everything. He does not require the sealing of his tongue. He himself submits and bows his head. Woe unto the blatant liars and that too before the Almighty Lord!

Allah says, “Today, We seal the mouths. No one can refute the truth.” Hands and feet are mentioned by way of examples; all the organs will testify what had been done using them. This is mentioned in several places in the Holy Quran.

And they shall say to their skins: Why have you borne witness against us? They shall say: Allah Who makes everything speak has made us speak, and He created you at first, and to Him you shall be brought back. (41:21)

When the parts of his body and his organs testify, what will the poor fellow do? Some have said that this witnessing will be for manifesting the sins. But how will it be done? Only He knows better. The sinners will ask their organs, “How are you able to speak and testify against us?” They will say, “We do not have any authority of our own. God made us speak.”

Fortunate is one who turns towards God here in this world himself before he is made to stand before his Lord in His Supreme Court. The fortunate one becomes humble and lowly before his Lord and confesses about his sins. He himself says, “O Lord! I was a bad servant.” He begs for pardon and makes no excuses. So now is the time that the eyes should shed tears, the tongue must seek pardon, for it will not remain in your mouth. The breathing will also not remain forever with you. You must repent just now, before your tongue is not able to say anything.

Voluntary surrender or forced arrest

If a runaway slave comes back himself, puts down his head at the feet of his master and seeks pardon, what will his master do? What about the other slave who is caught by the master and brought back in chains? He deserves to be punished. What will the Lord do with him? All these are divine affairs.

Doors of the House of God are always wide open. But sometimes respite is given. Except in this Holy month (of Ramadan), there are some conditions. He must come with a pious intention and sincerity. But in this Holy month, conditions are less. All are welcome.

Appreciate the value of this month, which is about to end. This is the month of pardon. Though forgiveness of God is ever available, in this Holy month, this great guesthouse is open for everyone, whosoever one may be; even if one is liable to punishment (not fit for forgiveness). Yet, due to the holiness of Ramadan, everyone is welcome. Those worthy of hellfire are also forgiven, as mentioned in the Prophet’s sermon of Shabania.

Note:

[36] Tafsir Minhajus Sadiqeen